Balbirnie ton keeps Ireland hopes alive

Ireland roared back into contention with a statement victory over joint-leaders Scotland to close the gap between the two to just a single point.

With both teams still to play another game and the other four teams still to play two, the race for the final – and automatic qualification to the showpiece tournament in England next summer – is set to go right down to the wire.

They may have spluttered through much of the competition but Ireland were irresistible on Sunday. Their marquee players – Andy Balbirnie, Tim Murtagh, Boyd Rankin, the O'Brien brothers – all proved their pedigree in this make-or-break fixture, ensuring that Ireland's 25-run victory keeps their World Cup dream alive.

For Scotland, meanwhile, whose form coming into the match had, in Calum MacLeod's words, been “one ball short of perfect”, will be cursing a middle-order collapse that set them back after such a rambunctious start to their run-chase.

At 112/2 after 24 overs, with the captain Kyle Coetzer rattling along and the in-form Richie Berrington settling in, Scotland would have fancied their chances of reeling in Ireland's competitive but hardly insurmountable 271 for 9.

Desperate for a wicket, William Porterfield recalled Boyd Rankin into the attack, and the 6ft 8in quick immediately delivered, pinning Coetzer on the crease to take out his off-stump.

SCORES IN BRIEF

IRELAND: 271 for 9 in 50 overs (Balbirnie 105, N O'Brien 70, K O'Brien 46; Wheal 3-43, Sharif 2-52)

SCOTLAND: 246 all out in 47.4 overs (Coetzer 61, MacLeod 21, Berrington 44, Sharif 34, Watt 31 not out; Murtagh                2-51, McCarthy 2-44, Rankin 4-63, Simi 2-33)      

Result: Ireland won by 25 runs

Player-of-the-match: Andy Balbirnie.